Who Wrote it? Pen Names in Literature

Pseudonym, pen name or alias - authors have been writing under names other than their own for centuries, and their reasons for doing so differ from writer to writer.

Charles Dodgson was a mathematician and Anglican deacon who possibly wanted to distance himself from his hobby of writing nonsense literature and children’s stories. By using Lewis Carroll, he could write and keep the day job. By contrast, Samuel Langhorne Clemens (which is a bit of a mouthful) couldn’t decide on just one fake name. He thought that the Mississippi boatman’s call of Mark Twain would lend a southern air to his stories of life on the river, while Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass was just silly enough for his comic writing.

Other writers had their pen names forced upon them such as the Brontë clan (Anne, Emily and Charlotte) who feared their work would be judged differently if it were known they were female. They chose to write as Acton Bell, Ellis Bell and Currer Bell respectively. The same fate befell Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin, who is better known as George Sand.

Gothic illustrator Edward Gorey wrote under several pseudonyms, most of which were anagrams of his own name such as Ogdred Weary, Regera Dowdy, Dogear Wryde and E. G. Deadworry.

Publishers frequently recommend pen names when prolific writers wish to churn out books in quick succession or if they wish to branch into new genres, including populist ones. Stephen King was told early in his career that if he wanted to publish more than one book a year he would have to do it under another name and so Richard Bachman was born. Romance writer Nora Roberts has published some of her 150+ books as J.D. Robb, Jill March and Sarah Hardesty. Dean Koontz has several pseudonyms.

There are many, many more – Eric Blair used George Orwell, Karen Blixen used Isak Dinesen, Georges Remi used Hergé, Daniel Handler uses Lemony Snicket, and Isaac Asimov used Paul French. Most recently, blockbuster bestseller JK Rowling, creator of the Harry Potter books, quietly published a crime novel under the name Robert Galbraith. As a result, she enjoyed unbiased reviews from critics, without the preconceived notions that her own name carries. And then, of course, when it "leaked" that she was the book's true author, she also got to enjoy a dizzying rocket to the top of all the bestseller lists. Not too shabby.

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O’Nolan also used Myles Na Gopaleen. After O’Nolan’s father died, he had to support 10 siblings, which he did with a job with the Irish Civil Service. His pen names helped him get around the job’s regulations regarding moonlighting.

Mertz studied Egyptology and published several non-fiction works before branching into gothic and supernatural thrillers, and adopting the name of Barbara Michaels. She also penned the Amelia Peabody series as Elizabeth Peters.

Lombino legally changed his name to Evan Hunter after an editor said it would help sell books. Hunter became successful and then began using S.A. Lombino, Hunt Collins, Richard Marsten and eventually Ed McBain.

Canadian-born author Eaton had Chinese-British ancestry. After success publishing short stories in the Saturday Evening Post, she switched to novels using the pen name of Onoto Watanna in order to sound Japanese-American.

Desclos was a French journalist and critic who introduced writers like Evelyn Waugh and F. Scott Fitzgerald to France. She did this using the pen name Dominique Aury. She used Pauline Réage for The Story of O – infamous for its graphic sexuality.

Loti was the pseudonym used by French naval officer and novelist Viaud. Unlike many other authors, he only wrote under the name Loti because he thought it reflected his public persona. His friends call him “le Loti” after the lotus flower.

Trevanian kept his identity hidden for years before finally revealing who he was in a New York Times interview. Whitaker selected the name because of his wife’s appreciation of English historian G.M. Trevelyan.

This duo collaborated to write a number of bestsellers under the name M. Barnard Eldershaw as well as publishing their own non fiction books. Barnard also wrote one novel on her own, The Persimmon Tree.

Adrenalin is the story of two gay lovers who shoot a homophobic coop after being harassed by him. Dillinger/Baker’s best known works are Boy Wonder and Fuel-Injected Dreams - both published under his real name.